Western Chokecherry vs Pawpaw - TreeTime.ca

Western Chokecherry vs Pawpaw

Prunus virginiana var. demissa

Asimina triloba

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Western Chokecherry
Pawpaw

Western Chokecherry is a shrub or small tree commonly used for farmstead and field windbreaks.

It produces white flowers in the spring and edible dark purple fruit that matures between September and October. Its cherries are great for making for making jams, jellies or wine, but are not very palatable for raw eating.

The Pawpaw tree produces delicious, sweet fruit with a unique banana-mango flavor. These oblong fruits start yellowish-green and mature to a dark brown in the fall. It is best to leave them on the tree until ripe, as they do not ripen well once picked. Pawpaws can be enjoyed fresh, in baking, or in ice cream.

Pawpaws produce the largest native fruit in North America. They typically grow as a small understory tree or large shrub on wooded slopes, in ravines, and along stream banks. They often spread through root suckers, forming dense thickets over time.

For fruit production to occur more than one genetically different Pawpaw tree is required. Our Pawpaw seedlings are grown from seed so they are all genetically different.

Note: Avoid eating the seeds and skin of the Pawpaw fruit as they can cause stomach pain for some individuals. Contact with the skin of the fruit can also result in skin irritation, so it is recommended to wear gloves during harvest. Plant this tree once. Due to its large tap root transplanting is not recommended.

Western Chokecherry Quick Facts

Pawpaw Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 5a
Height: 7 m (23 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 5 m (16 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: high

Toxicity: toxic to horses, cattle, etc.)

Fall colour: reddish-purple
Flowers: red purple
Fruit: large, yellow green to brown
Berries: edible, astringent, red-purple
Flavor: similar to mango or banana
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: bitter-berry, chokecherry, common chokecherry, virginia bird berry
Other Names: american pawpaw, custard apple, custard apple tree, indian banana, paw paw, paw-paw, wild banana